What can cause the ranula to inflame?

Answer 1

A ranula is a bulbous swelling of the tissue in the mouth, typically in the lower mouth, on the inner surface of the gums below the teeth.

The reason why a ranula occurs is because there is some obstruction in the salivary ducts. It may tend to appear more often when you are hungry or simply craving something. The sub-mandibular or sub-lingual glands often tend to be the glands to cause this, typically the sub-lingual glands. The sure way to help this to stop happening is by surgically removing the gland causing this. First make sure you get some kind of scan with contrast to try and see what gland is causing this, an ultrasound of the area is very helpful as well. Once the gland has been identified you can then talk to your maxillofacial surgeon about surgery. The removal of the gland often takes about 3-4 hours due to the nerves that are around and the muscles. The risk of mortality and of something else going wrong is very little so have no worries. Once the removal has been done the chances of it ocurring once again is basically zero because there will be nothing else to produce the saliva the ranula becomes filled with. If it does occur then the nearest gland to the removed one may be the one to have always caused this. Not having the sub-lingual or the sub-mandibular glands does not cause much problem because together they provide about 15% or less of the saliva in our mouths. We have thousands of glands all around our mouths being produced so nothing to worry about.

Answer 2

A ranula is a blocked salivary duct. Sometimes people develop small stones, not unlike kidney or gall stones. These stones consist of various salts and minerals that exist in the saliva. These stones become too large to pass through the small openings in the mouth and they become lodged and block the duct. When this happens, the saliva backs up into the salivary gland and pressure builds causing pain.

Occasionally a duct is injured and scar tissue forms at the wound. This scar tissue can sometimes block the duct causing the saliva to back up.

Treatment usually requires minor oral surgery to unblock the duct. Depending on the cause and other factors, occasionally ranulas can re-occur, requiring additional surgery to repair.